A weekly recounting of the weekend adventures of Tom Kotynski, retired Great Falls Tribune Associate Editor, who prowls Montana's mountains and communities' happenings. All photos and writing are copyright Tom Kotynski.

About Me

Monday, May 05, 2014

Sac Springs on perfect Spring afternoon

Top: Morony Dam outlet spilling with Spring snowmelt; middle: where Belt Creek meets the Missouri; bottom: where the storm starts to form

We took a quick day hike along River's Edge Trail Sunday to visit Sacajawea Springs near Morony Dam on the Missouri River.
It is 1.8 miles each way along a rolling trail that accesses these famous springs across the river from where Belt Creek empties into the Missouri.
The river roils with many rapids this time of year and the outflow from the dam crashes into the river.
The springs are historic because this is where the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery stopped at Belt Creek and the Shoshone Indian maiden Sacajawea, who is said to have been suffering from the fevers of syphilis, is said to have been cured by the sulfur waters of this scenic spring.
On this hike we were treated to the blooms of spring flowers like phlox, several kinds of vetch, false mountain dandelion, golden currant, and even an early lupine. Everything is greening up.
The springs aren't hot, but they are smelly. Figuring if it could heal Sacajawea it couldn't hurt me, I dipped my hand into the spring and took a drink.
At the springs the sky darkened and a storm began to build on the western horizon. There was season's first thunder and some lightning.
As we got back to the car, the storm hit and blanketed the fields with good-sized hail.
Our timing was perfect.

Front book updates and corrections

On Feb. 24, 2008 I posted updates and corrections for my book, "Discover the Rocky Mountain Front."These are important for a number of reasons. First, there's an significant correction to the Muddy Creek Falls hike. Second, there's an update on trails affected by the 2007 fires season. Finally, there is a land ownership change in the Falls Creek Roadless Area, effectively closing the area from the Dearborn River.To find these updates you can go to the archive and look for February 2008, or search for "Front book updates."I will also be glad to e-mail these to anyone who asks. Contact me at: tomkotynski@msn.com and put "front updates" in the title line.Tom KotynskiFebruary 2008

Discover the Rocky Mountain Front

Click on the advertisement for the book or paste this link into your browser to order the book: https://ssl1.gmti.com/greatfalls/forms/hikingguide/